A Lifetime
by Cafeconleche
Summary: "We are all born for love. It is the principle of existence, and its only end." A series of events that define the lives of Jess and Rory.
1. It's only the beginning

Author :CafeConLeche(Lexy) Title:A Lifetime Disclamer: I own nothing. A/N It's midnight and I can't sleep . So here I am at the computer . This will be a series of events in the life of Jess and Rory . Love, tragedy, milestones, heartbreak. The twists and turns their live took to get where they are . This chapter is kind of short . Sort of a prologue . Read and (hopefully you'll) enjoy!  
  
"We are all born for love. It is the principle of existence, and its only end."  
  
  
  
12:00 A.M. I lay awake. Sleep eludes me . I turn and look at the beautiful woman laying beside me. A small smile graces her lips and I cannot help but wonder what put it there. It's moments like these I think back and rememeber that spring morning years ago . The beginning....  
  
  
  
We spent the rest of that fall avoiding each other. She was with Dean , I was with Shane. We saw each other quite a bit . Luke's being her main source of food. We would exchange a civil hello , sometimes it led to a short literary debate then Shane or Dean came and it was back to square one.  
  
  
  
Winter came and went along with Dean and Shane. And yet we still couldn't manage to get it together. Our relationship was defined by playing these games with one another . It had become second nature. We both wanted the other and yet we kept away.  
  
  
  
"College application?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah . Today's the day . Mom's making such a big deal out of it . She decorated the mailbox . Sookie's cooking. It's going to be a real event. "She rolled her eyes , but just looking at he could tell she was excited."What about you?Are you appiling anywhere?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah."  
  
  
  
"Care to clarify ?"  
  
  
  
"Not particularly."  
  
  
  
"Fine." Long pause."Jess?"  
  
  
  
"You really want to know that badly ?"  
  
  
  
" I'm just a naturaly curious person. "  
  
  
  
"Connecticut State. Unniversity of Conn. Stuff like that."  
  
  
  
"You don't want to go back to New York."  
  
  
  
"I will but not right now."  
  
  
  
"Oh." Another long pause."Well I better get going . I'll see you around." She walked to the door and just as she was about to leave she turned and looked at me with a meaningful glance.  
  
  
  
  
  
As I sat on the bridge early the next morning . 12:00 AM to be exact , I heard soft footsteps .  
  
  
  
"Hey Jess."  
  
  
  
"Rory." She sat down next to me . "How was the application mailing ceromony. "  
  
  
  
"Oh . It was good."She replied dully.  
  
  
  
"Don't sound so enthusiastic."  
  
  
  
"It's just ...I don't want to go to Harvard."  
  
  
  
"I thought it was your dream."  
  
  
  
"I thought so too.....I'm appling to Yale. "  
  
  
  
"Proximity to home?"  
  
  
  
"Partially."  
  
  
  
"It's just now that I look back , all this Harvard stuff . I don't think it's ever what I really wanted ." She turns to me."It kind of makes me totally re evualate things."  
  
  
  
I'm not quite sure , even to this day, how it happened but the next thing I remember is us kissing. The warmth of her fingertips . The cinnimon taste of her lips. The feel of her heart beating aganist mine.  
  
  
  
We stayed out there for hours that night . Talking , laughing, kissing . Just being ...together. We watched to sun rise, breaking on the horizon. At that moment , the sky swirled with colors of prurple, blue and orange , with her in my arms, I knew ,it was only the beginning. 


	2. That Spring Afternoon

Author: CafeConLeche  
  
Title: A Lifetime  
  
Chapter 2: That Spring Afternoon  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just a fan . :)  
  
A/N Thank you so much for the nice reviews . :D Hope you all enjoy this chapter !  
  
  
  
"The earth awakening again  
  
Shaking off the winter's pain  
  
Drinking in the fragile sun  
  
Showing us that we have won "  
  
-Alice Bateman  
  
  
  
That spring , that perfect spring. It was a crazy time. With college in the distance and finals looming .  
  
But even then it was perfect . We were together . We spent as much time as we could together.  
  
Conversations on the bridge. Stolen kisses in Luke's Diner. Her mother was even starting to warm up to me . Just a little.  
  
I remember that day clearer than anything else in my life. She came in the diner grinning like crazy , completely out of breath . She had obviously run to the diner . Running is something the Gilmores don't do .  
  
"Jess!" she paused to catch her breath. "Guess what ?!"  
  
Before I could even speak , "I got in !" she said ,laughing." It came today. I got in to Yale. On scholarship."  
  
She sat on a stool and sighed. A happy, contented sigh.  
  
I have to admit her happiness was contagious and I found myself grinning.  
  
"Congratulations." I told her sincerely. I went around the counter to hug her and was greeted with a kiss.  
  
We spent the rest of that afternoon talking about Yale and college life. To be honest . I don't remember what we talked about that afternoon . All I remember was the genuine smile on her face and the happiness in her eyes.  
  
So that evening when I saw her sitting on the bridge looking totally depressed , I was surprised.  
  
"Hey ." I walked over and sat beside her , putting my arm around her shoulder .  
  
"Hi " she said with a weak smile.  
  
"Something the matter?" I asked.  
  
"Nope." pause "no" pause "I'm good, ...terrific in fact ." She had always been a terrible liar.  
  
"If you say so ,but if something was wrong could it have anything to do with Yale?"  
  
"No, Yale's good. "Silence. "It's just , I'm going to miss everyone so much. Mom, Luke, Star's Hollow ... you." she said with tears forming in her eyes .  
  
"Well, you might not have to miss me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I got an acceptance letter to University of New Haven and I've decided to go . "  
  
"You did! Oh my god, Jess. That's awesome." There was that grin again. "That's like ten minutes from Yale. "  
  
She hugged me tightly and kissed me , whispering those three little words . "I love you." My heart must have stopped beating. I broke the hug and looked her in the eyes. She was smiling. "I love you ."  
  
The alarm clock read 1:00 A.M. She was still sleeping peacefully. I wrapped my arms around her. It's amazing how forty -seven years later my love for her hasn't faded but grows stronger everyday .I closed my eyes and whispered softly , as I did that spring afternoon years ago , "I love you." 


End file.
